p.

28

UNIT 21 1

O ne Al w ays Eat s Bet t er at Hom e

M arg. - I lik e t his r est aur ant , T om ! T he soup is g ood. Ver y g ood!
Tom - Uh huh. I t isn’t bad. But t he soup t hat m y m ot her m ak es
is bet t er .
M arg. - O h, well! O ne always eat s bet t er at hom e. My m ot her
m ak es delicious soup. She’s a wonder f ul cook !
Tom - Ah! T hat is ver y g ood news!
M arg. - W hy is it g ood news, dear ?
Tom - W ell, Mar g ar et . . . your m ot her ’s eyes ar e as blue as t he
sea, but your eyes ar e even bluer . Your m ot her is a ver y
g ood pianist , but you ar e even bet t er . You say t hat your
m ot her is a wonder f ul cook , so I hope t hat when you
beg in t o cook f or m e, you will be - - -
M arg. - But T om ! You k now t hat I can’t cook at all! I can’t even
m ak e cof f ee.
Tom - And I say t hat you will soon lear n t o cook . You say t hat
your m ot her m ak es delicious soup. W ell, I ’m sur e t hat
your soup is g oing t o be even m or e delicious. T he m ost
delicious soup in t he wor ld!
M arg. - No, T om . I t will be bad. Ver y bad. I t will be wor se t han
poison. I t will be t he wor st soup in t he wor ld.
Tom - My dar ling , you ar e a pessim ist ! You always expect t he
wor st .
M arg. - And you ar e a f oolish opt im ist . You always expect t he
best .
Tom - O pt im ist s ar en’t f oolish. T hey’r e ver y wise.
M arg. - Do you t hink you ar e ver y wise, T om ?
Tom - Som et im es I am , ar en’t I ? I was wise in choosing you f or
m y f iancée, wasn’t I ?
M arg. - Dar ling ! W hat a delig ht f ul com plim ent !

( t urn over)

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UNIT 21 2

( cont i nuat i on) O ne Al w ays Eat s Bet t er at Hom e

Tom - Do you t hink so, dear ? W ell, now you ar e g oing t o hear
som et hing even m or e delig ht f ul.
M arg. - W hat ?
Tom - Af t er we leave Bar celona we ar e g oing t o visit Rom e and
At hens.
M arg. - O h T om ! Really?
Tom - Yes, r eally. And now list en t o t his: Last nig ht , j ust bef or e
g oing t o sleep, I had a splendid idea. I nst ead of wait ing
t ill next sum m er , we could m ar r y t his wint er ! W hat do
you t hink about t hat ?
M arg. - T om ! How wonder f ul!
Tom - Do you st ill t hink I ’m f oolish, dear ?
M arg. - O h no, of cour se I don’t ! You ar e t he best and wisest of
all m en!

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UNIT 21 3

one

1. En al gunos cas os “one” t r aduce el pr onombr e es pañol “s e”.

• O ne always eat s bet t er at hom e.

En casa se come siempre mejor.

2. Se us a “one” con un nombr e par a poner en evi denci a que

s e es t á habl ando de una s ol a cos a o per s ona.

• Chr ist ianit y t eaches us t hat t her e is one G od.

El cristianismo nos enseña que hay un (solo) Dios.

3. Se us a “one” como pr onombr e par a evi t ar l a r epet i ci ón de un

nombr e.
• Mar g ar et look s pr et t y in ever y dr ess, but she look s pr et t ier
when she wear s t he g r een one.

Si el nombr e es pl ur al s e us a “ones ”.

• Abel lik es all subj ect s, but t he ones t hat he lik es best ar e:
hist or y and f or eig n lang uag es.

4. “O ne of ” s e us a a menudo del ant e de s uper l at i vos .

• Am er ica is one of t he r ichest count r ies in t he wor ld.

5. Cuando nos r ef er i mos a un t i empo en el pas ado o en el f ut ur o.

• O ne day last sum m er , I spent t he whole day r oller - sk at ing .

O ne evening next week I am g oing t o t ak e Bar bar a out f or a
pizza.
===
w hol e = ent er o

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UNIT 21 4

one
Abel

O ne of m y best f r iends is m y Am er ican cousin, I van. But

m y par ent s and som e of m y r elat ives don’t lik e him .
I n m y opinion, I van is one of t he clever est boys t hat I
k now. But he is consider ed t he black sheep of t he f am ily,
j ust because he st opped g oing t o school, and above all
because he has long hair and ear r ing s.
I t hink t hat one should r espect ot her people’s ideas.
Even if I van is not g oing t o school, he spends m ost of his
t im e r eading and st udying . He is, in f act , int er est ed in m any
subj ect s. But , t he ones t hat he pr ef er s ar e Hist or y and
Polit ics.
T her e is only one t hing t hat he should do. He should st op
sm ok ing , because it is bad f or his healt h.
I van is not a r ebel, as m ost people t hink , even if he
behaves lik e one. I n m y opinion he has a st r ong per sonalit y.
Unf or t unat ely g r own- ups don’t under st and him .
===
s heep = ovej a
above al l = s obr e t odo
t o res pect = r es pet ar
m os t of ... = l a mayor í a de...
t o behave = compor t ar s e
unf ort unat el y = des af or t unadament e
< < < < < §> > > > >

home = hogar

Con ver bos de movi mi ent o “hom e” no r equi er e ni nguna pr epos i ci ón.

• Ever y evening Rober t leaves t he f act or y at six o’clock and

g oes hom e.
Millie g ener ally g oes t o t he m ar k et in t he m or ning , but she
soon r et ur ns hom e.
at home = en cas a / en el hogar

Rober t usually spends t he evening at hom e, r eading a book or

a newspaper .

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UNIT 21 5

it isn’t bad = no es t á mal

Rober t and M i l l i e

Millie - I s dinner g ood t his evening , Rober t ?

Rob. - I t isn’t bad.
Millie - W ell, t he st eak is g ood, isn’t it ?
Rob. - I t isn’t bad.
Millie - And t he f r ied pot at oes ar e g ood, ar en’t t hey?
Rob. - T hey ar en’t bad.
< < < < < §> > > > >

to make = hacer

Millie

I don’t k now what t o do about Rober t .

I n t he m or ning I always m ak e him a nice big cup of cof f ee
and som e t oast wit h j am and but t er . But he always f inds an
excuse t o com plain; som et im es about t he cof f ee, and
som et im es about t he t oast or t he j am .
W hen he com es back hom e in t he evening , I m ak e som e
delicious soup or past a, and I cook som e m eat or f ish, and a
big salad, t oo. But he is never sat isf ied, and he always m ak es
som e r ude r em ar k s.
I t hink he is bor ed wit h his wor k and wit h his lif e. But when I
m ak e sug g est ions about g et t ing a new j ob or g oing out m or e
of t en and t r ying t o m ak e new f r iends, he only m ak es silly
com m ent s.
I also sug g est ed m ak ing a t r ip f r om t im e t o t im e, but he only
m ak es pr om ises, and never k eeps t hem .
===
excus e = excus a rem ark = obs er vaci ón
t o com pl ai n = quej ar s e t o s ugges t = s uger i r
s at i s f i ed = s at i s f echo s ugges t i on = s uger enci a
t o m ake com m ent s = hacer coment ar i os
t o m ake a prom i s e = hacer una pr omes a
t o keep a prom i s e = mant ener una pr omes a

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UNIT 21 6

even = has t a, i ncl us o

• Mar g ar et ’s eyes ar e even bluer t han t he sea.

W hen Mar g ar et wear s pink , she look s char m ing . But when she
wear s g r een, she look s even m or e char m ing .

Yest er day t he weat her was beaut if ul. T oday it is even m or e

beaut if ul.
===
t o w ear = l l evar (pues t o)

even = has t a, i ncl us o

not even = ni s i qui er a

Rober t and M i l l i e
( In t he mor ni ng )

Rob. - I s m y cof f ee r eady?

Millie - Just a m om ent , dear !
Rob. - Just a m om ent ? Just a m om ent ? Do you k now t hat it ’s
alr eady seven o’clock ? I ’ll be lat e f or t he f act or y!
Millie - O h, Rober t ! - Please be pat ient ! I r eally can’t
under st and it , dear !
Rob. - Under st and what ?
Millie - I can’t under st and why you ar e always so im pat ient . You
k now, Rober t . . . even a lit t le child can lear n t o be
pat ient . You k now t hat ver y well, dear .
Rob. - Yes - and I k now anot her t hing t oo! And it ’s t his . . . not
even a saint can be pat ient wit h a wif e who t alk s
nonsense f r om m or ning t o nig ht !

===
t o be l at e = l l egar t ar de; es t ar en r et r as o
s ai nt = s ant o
t o t al k nons ens e = deci r t ont er í as

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UNIT 21 7

to be going to

Con l a expr es i ón “t o be goi ng t o” s e expr es a un f ut ur o de i nt enci ón.

• T om and Mar g ar et ar e g oing t o m ar r y t his wint er .

Tom y Margaret se casarán este invierno.
Es decir: (Tom y Margaret tienen intención de casarse este invierno.)

Mar g ar et says, “ W hen I m ar r y, I am g oing t o have a cook . ”

t endr é

But T om says, “ I am g oing t o buy you a cook er y book . ”

com pr ar é

Rober t and M i l l i e
( In t he af t er noon )

Rob. - Millie! W hat ar e we g oing t o have f or lunch t oday?

Millie - Soup, dear .
Rob. - Soup?! O nly soup?! Do you m ean t hat we ar e g oing t o
have only soup?!
Millie - O h no Rober t ! O f cour se not . W e ar e g oing t o have m eat
and pot at oes, t oo. And cheese and f r uit .
Rob. - W ell, I hope so. Because if t her e is only soup, I ’m g oing
t o eat at a r est aur ant !

< < < < < §> > > > >

Not a

I w as goi ng t o leave = Es t aba a punt o de s al i r

He w as goi ng t o eat = Es t aba a punt o de comer

• Last nig ht when I was g oing t o f all asleep t he t elephone r ang .

===
t o f al l as l eep = ( l i t . c a e r s e d o r m i d o ) dor mi r s e
rang = t ocó

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UNIT 21 8

instead of = en vez de, en l ugar de

Rober t and M i l l i e
( In t he eveni ng )

Millie - W hat do you want f or dinner t his evening , Rober t ?

Rob. - St eak .
Millie - Always st eak , dear ? W hy not som e f ish t his evening ,
inst ead of st eak ? Som e nice f r ied f ish.
Rob. - No. St eak . W it h f r ied pot at oes.
Millie - But t oo m any f r ied pot at oes will m ak e you f at , dear .
W hy not a nice g r een salad inst ead of f r ied pot at oes,
t his evening ?
Rob. - No! You k now t hat I never eat salad.
Millie - All r ig ht , dear . And . . . dear . . . t he doct or says t hat wine
is bad f or your liver . W hy don’t you dr ink m iner al wat er
inst ead of wine?
Rob. - W hy don’t you st ar t pr epar ing dinner inst ead of t alk ing
all t he t im e?
Millie - O h Rober t ! Rober t !
===
t o m ake f at = engor dar
l i ver = hi gado

< < < < < §> > > > >

alw ays = s i empr e

never = nunca

• W e never spend our holidays in Eng land.

W e always visit f or eig n count r ies.
But we never lear n f or eig n lang uag es.
W e speak only Eng lish, because f or eig n lang uag es ar e
dif f icult and we always f ind som ebody who can under st and
Eng lish.

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UNIT 21 9

often = a menudo

sometimes = a veces

Tom and M ar gar et

M arg. - W hen we ar e m ar r ied, T om , how shall we spend our

evening s?
Tom - W ell, som et im es we’ll g o t o t he t heat r e. And of cour se,
we’ll of t en g o t o t he cinem a.
M arg. - Yes, and som et im es we’ll visit our f r iends.
Tom - Uh- Huh. But of t en we’ll spend a q uiet evening at hom e.
M arg. - Doing what , dear ?
Tom - O h, som et im es we’ll t alk . . . som et im es we’ll wat ch
t elevision. Som et im es we’ll r ead. You will of t en want t o
sew, I ’m sur e.
M arg. - O h no! I can’t sew at all. I can’t even sew on a but t on!
Tom - You’ll lear n t o sew, dear . You’ll lear n.
===
qui et = t r anqui l o
t o s ew = cos er
t o s ew on a but t on = cos er un bot ón
< < < < < §> > > > >

w ord study

new s = not i ci a, not i ci as

W hat i s t he news. W hat ar e t he news. ¡ Er r or !

T his i s ver y bad news.

1. Con l a pal abr a “news ” s e pone el ver bo en s i ngul ar .

No s e puede deci r : “a news ”. (una not i ci a)

Se puede habl ar de: “a pi ece of new s ” = una not i ci a

“s om e new s ” = al gunas not i ci as

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UNIT 21 10

w ord study

furniture = mobi l i ar i o, muebl es

My f ur nit ur e i s beaut if ul and ar t ist ic.

Mis muebles son hermosos y artísticos.

1. Con l a pal abr a “f ur ni t ur e” s e pone el ver bo en s i ngul ar .

No s e puede deci r : “a f ur ni t ur e”. (un muebl e)

Se puede habl ar de: “a pi ece of f urni t ure” = un muebl e

“s om e f urni t ure” = unos muebl es

La pal abr a “f ur ni t ur es ” no exi s t e.

< < < < < §> > > > >
information = i nf or maci ón; i nf or maci ones

His inf or m at ion w as com plet ely wr ong .

Sus informaciones eran completamente equivocadas.

1. Con l a pal abr a “i nf or m at i on” s e pone el ver bo en s i ngul ar .

No s e puede deci r : “an i nf or mat i on”. (una i nf or maci ón)

Se puede habl ar de: “a pi ece of i nf orm at i on” = una i nf or maci ón

“s om e i nf orm at i on” = al gunas i nf or maci ones

La pal abr a “i nf or mat i ons ” no exi s t e.

• I would lik e som e inf or m at ion about f lig ht s t o New Yor k .

I am g oing t o g ive you an im por t ant piece of inf or m at ion.

For f ur t her inf or m at ion please wr it e t o …

Para ulteriores informaciones por favor escribir a …)

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UNIT 21 11

w ord study

advice = cons ej o; cons ej os

Abel says: “ T he advi ce t hat m y m ot her g ives m e i s always ver y
g ood. But I can’t always f ollow it . ”

1. Con l a pal abr a “advi ce” s e pone el ver bo en s i ngul ar .

No s e puede deci r : “an advi ce”. (un cons ej o)

Se puede habl ar de: “a pi ece of advi ce” = un cons ej o

“s om e advi ce” = al gunos cons ej os

La pal abr a “advi ces ” no exi s t e.

Abel

I don’t lik e t o g ive any advice t o anybody, f or t wo

r easons. T he f ir st r eason is t hat I m yself don’t lik e t o list en
t o advice. And t he second one is t hat nobody lik es t o list en
t o advice anyhow.
O f cour se m y m ot her always g ives m e ver y g ood advice
but it is alm ost im possible t o f ollow it .
She t ells m e t hat I shouldn’t play f oot ball because m y
f r iends ar e r oug h. She t ells m e t hat I shouldn’t g o r oller -
sk at ing because it is dang er ous. . . and so on, and so on.
W hen I g o out on Sat ur day evening , bef or e leaving t he
house she always says t o m e, “ And now Abel, let m e g ive
you one last piece of advice: Rem em ber t hat sm ok ing and
dr ink ing alcohol ar e ver y dang er ous f or your healt h. ”
Poor m am a! She g ives me t he sam e advice ever y
Sat ur day.
===
reas on = r az ón I m ys el f = yo mi s mo
t o f ol l ow = s egui r anyhow = de cual qui er maner a
rough = r udo
dangerous = pel i gr os o

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UNIT 21 12

w ord study

large = gr ande (No s i gni f i ca “l ar go”.)

T ok yo is a ver y l ar ge cit y.
Tokyo es una ciudad muy grande.

long = l ar go

< < < < < §> > > > >

parents = padr es (No s i gni f i ca “ p a r i e n t e s ” . )

Par ent s m ak e a lot of sacr if ices t o br ing up t heir childr en.
Los padres hacen muchos sacrificios para criar a sus niños.

r el at i ves = par i ent es

r el at i ons = par i ent es

< < < < < §> > > > >

w ord study

disco = di s cot eca (No significa “disco”.)

A disc j ock ey wor k s in a di sco.

Un disc jockey trabaja en una discoteca.

Di s co es l a f or ma abr evi ada de di s cot heque.

record = di s co

• Abel’s par ent s don’t allow him t o g o t o t he di sco because he

is t oo young .

< < < < < §> > > > >

economical = ahor r ador (No significa “económico”.)

• Lydia is not econom i cal at all. O n t he cont r ar y, she is ver y

ext r avag ant .

cheap = económi co

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UNIT 21 13

library = bi bl i ot eca (No significa “librería”.)

A public libr ar y is a building wher e you can r ead or bor r ow book s,

m ag azines, videos et c.
I n som e lar g e houses people have a r oom wher e t hey k eep all
t heir book s. T hey som et im es call t his r oom “ t he libr ar y” .
===
t o borrow = pedi r o t omar pr es t ado
t o l end = pr es t ar

bookcase = l i br er í a (muebl e)

bookshop = l i br er í a (t i enda)

< < < < < §> > > > >

He speak s Eng lish bet t er t han I ( do) . Habla inglés mejor que yo.

He speak s Eng lish bet t er t han m e. “ “ “ “

En el i ngl és col oqui al , des pués del compar at i vo se us an l os

pr onombr es compl ement o: m e, hi m , her , us , t hem

Si n embar go, s er í a más cor r ect o us ar l os pr onombr es s uj et os : I , he,

s he, we, t hey s egui dos del ver bo.

• He ear ns m or e t han m e. = Él gana más que yo.

He ear ns m or e t han I ( do) . = “” “”

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UNIT 21 14

suf f ixes = s uf i j os

-ful = l l eno de

use uso usef ul útil

beaut y belleza beaut i f ul bello
car e cuidado, atención car ef ul cuidadoso
del i ght deleite, placer del i ght f ul delicioso
w onder maravilla w onder f ul maravilloso

-less = sin

use uso usel ess inútil

hom e casa hom el ess sin hogar
m ot her madre m ot her l ess huérfano
hear t corazón hear t l ess sin corazón

-ness

good bueno goodness bondad

cl ever inteligente cl ever ness inteligencia
happy feliz happi ness felicidad
usef ul útil usef ul ness utilidad
t i r ed cansado t i r edness cansancio
col d frío col dness frialdad
ill enfermo i l l ness enfermedad
sad triste sadness tristeza

-ship

f r i end amigo f r i endshi p amistad

di ct at or dictador di ct at or shi p dictadura
cham pi on campeón cham pi onshi p campeonato

-ity

r api d rápido r api di t y rapidez

r eal real r eal i t y realidad
st upi d estúpido st upi di t y estupidez

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UNIT 21 15

1. to w ait (for) = es per ar al go / a al gui en

Se us a “t o wai t ” cuando s e es t á es per ando que ocur r a al go o que

l l egue al gui en.

• Ever y m or ning G eor g e g oes t o t he t r ain st at ion and w ai t s

pat ient ly unt il t he t r ain ar r ives.

- W hat ar e you doing her e?

- I am w ai t i ng f or m y g ir lf r iend.

2. to expect

a) es per ar , ant i ci par

• W hen G eor g e com es back hom e f r om wor k , he expect s t o f ind

som e nice dinner , but he always f inds boiled pot at oes or cold
boiled r ice.

T om is an opt im ist . He always expect s t he best .

Mar g ar et is a pessim ist . She always expect s t he wor st .

b) cont ar con, exi gi r

• O n Sat ur day, Abel’s par ent s expect him t o r et ur n hom e bef or e

m idnig ht .

c) s uponer

• - Af t er such a long walk I expect t hey will be ver y t ir ed.

- T her e ar e m any clouds in t he sk y. I expect t hat it will r ain

soon.

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UNIT 21 16

como dar “las gracias”

Thank you. = Gr aci as .

Thank you ver y m uch. = M uchí s i mas gr aci as .
Thanks. = Gr aci as .
Thanks a l ot . = M uchí s i mas gr aci as .

“Thanks ” y “Thanks a l ot ” s e us an en el i ngl és col oqui al .

como decir “de nada”

That ’ s al l r i ght .
That ’ s O K.
I t ’ s a pl easur e.

Si una per s ona nos es t á dando l as gr aci as de f or ma muy cal ur os a s e

puede cont es t er as í : Not at al l . - I t was not hi ng.

En l os Es t ados Uni dos s e us a t ambi én l a expr es i ón:

You ar e w el com e. = (l i t . Er es bi enveni do.)

M r s W i l son and M r s Pagani ni

M rs P . - Dear Mr s. W ilson, how ar e you?

M rs W. - I ’m ver y well, t hank you. And how about your husband
and your childr en?
M rs P . - T hey ar e ver y well, t oo. T hank s.
M rs W. - W hy don’t you t ak e of f your coat and sit down. W e
could have t ea t og et her .
M rs P . - O h, t hank s a lot . I r eally need som e t ea, I f eel so t ir ed.
M rs W. - You should wor k less, m y dear .
M rs P . - I k now. But wit h m y j ob, m y f am ily, t he house and t he
g ar den, it is im possible.
M rs W. - As you k now, if you need m y help, call m e and I ’ll be
pleased t o g ive you a hand.
M rs P . - O h, t hat ’s so k ind of you. I don’t k now how t o t hank
you.
M rs W. - T hat ’s all r ig ht .

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UNIT 21 17

a pessimist = un pes i mi s t a (substantivo)

pessimistic = pes i mi s t a (adjetivo)

an optimist = un opt i mi s t a (substantivo)

optimistic = opt i mi s t a (adjetivo)

• Mar g ar et is pessim ist ic. She is a pessim ist ic per son.

She g ener ally expect s t he wor st .
She is a pessim ist .

T om , on t he cont r ar y, is opt im ist ic. He is an opt im ist ic per son.

He g ener ally expect s t he best .
He is an opt im ist .

O pt im ist s ar e happy people.

Pessim ist s ar e seldom happy.
So it is bet t er t o be opt im ist ic, isn’t it ?

< < < < < §> > > > >

I t is ver y nice of you. = Es muy s i mpat i co de t u par t e.

I t is ver y silly of her . = Es muy t ont o de s u par t e.

I t is ver y r ude of hi m . = Es muy gr os er o de s u par t e.

• W hen T om t eases Mar g ar et , she becom es of f ended. T hat is

ver y silly of her .

Rober t of t en hur t s Millie’s f eeling s. T hat is ver y unk ind of him .

But , Millie always f or g ives him . T hat is ver y sweet of her .

Debr a is a g ood st udent . She pr epar es all her lessons

car ef ully. T hat is ver y wise of her .
===
car ef ul = at ent o
car ef ul l y = at ent ament e
w i se = s abi o

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 UNIT 21 18

G eor ge G r ay

Hello! I t is G eor g e G r ay speak ing . T he m an f r om

G lum ville. T he m an t hat is m ar r ied t o Lydia, t he pr et t y
lady wit h ver y expensive t ast es.
I g et up ear ly ever y m or ning , at six o’clock , because
as you k now I wor k in a Depar t m ent St or e in t he cent r e como sabeis
of London. And as I have no car , I have t o g o t o wor k by ya que
t r ain.

My lif e is t oug h! But I don’t lik e t o com plain, because I quejarse

k now t hat t her e ar e lot s of people who live wor se t han peor de
m e.
O f cour se in wint er , at six it is st ill dar k , and when it es de noche
r ains or snows, or when it is windy, g et t ing up so ear ly, nieva / ventoso
pr epar ing m y br eak f ast in a hur r y and g oing t o t he t r ain
st at ion on f oot , is not ver y pleasant . But I don’t m ind, agradable
because I k now m any people who g et up even ear lier más temprano
t han I do. I also k now som e ot her people who wor k all
nig ht , and sleep only a f ew hour s in t he m or ning ,
because in t he af t er noon t hey have anot her j ob. empleo

I r epeat , I don’t lik e t o com plain, but af t er a har d day’s duro

wor k , and af t er a bor ing t r ain j our ney, one expect s t o viaje
ar r ive hom e and f ind a g ood dinner wait ing f or him . But I
seldom f ind a g ood dinner wait ing f or m e. rara vez

W hy?

Because m y wif e cook s ver y badly. O h so badly! My

dear m ot her was a bad cook , but Lydia is even wor se peor que
t han m y m ot her was. Lydia is t he wor st cook t hat I k now. la peor
For exam ple, if she g ives m e boiled pot at oes f or dinner ,
t hey ar e always har der t han st one. And she g ives m e
boiled pot at oes f or dinner t hr ee or f our t im es a week !

( t urn over)
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 UNIT 21 19

( cont i nuat i on) G eor ge G r ay

I t ’s r eally ver y st r ang e, because she k nows ver y well

t hat I don’t lik e boiled pot at oes. But when I say t o her ,
“ W hat ! Pot at oes ag ain, m y dear ?” , she always answer s,
“ You say t hat we m ust be econom ical. You say t hat we
m ust n’t wast e m oney. ” She is r ig ht , of cour se, but I t hink derrochar
t hat she exag g er at es a lit t le.
W hen she doesn’t g ive me boiled pot at oes, she
pr epar es som e boiled r ice. W ell I lik e r ice, but when it is arroz
well- pr epar ed, wit h m eat and veg et ables, or wit h
veg et ables and cur r y, or Chinese st yle. But she only boils
t he r ice, put s it in a bowl and, if she r em em ber s, she cuenco
put s som e but t er on t op. And t hat is all. Can you im ag ine encima
it ?
Af t er t he r ice, if I am st ill hung r y, I have t o eat som e debo
br ead and cheese, or a g lass of m ilk . Because she never
g ives m e any f ish or m eat . Accor ding t o Lydia, f ish and
m eat ar e expensive.
She never g ives m e any desser t , of cour se, because postre
she never buys any sweet t hing s. She says t hat sweet s
ar e bad f or t he f ig ur e. W ell I have no pr oblem wit h m y
f ig ur e. O n t he cont r ar y, ever ybody is t elling m e t hat I am
t oo t hin, and t hat I should eat m or e. W ell, what can I do? delgado
As Fr ench people say, “ C’est la vie! ” Such is lif e! ¡Así es la vida!

O n Sundays she doesn’t cook at all, because she’s t oo

busy. She always g ives a lit t le par t y on Sunday ocupada
af t er noon. She invit es t hr ee or f our of her lady f r iends,
and t hey have a nice t im e t og et her , t alk ing , laug hing , juntos
list ening t o m usic, and of cour se, eat ing and dr ink ing .
She never invit es any m en. She says t hat m en have
enoug h f un in lif e. diversión
( t ur n over )
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 UNIT 21 20

( cont i nuat i on) G eor ge G r ay

And so, she spends Sunday m or ning pr epar ing som e

delicious snack s f or her g uest s. Lydia is a ver y bad cook ,
but she can m ak e ver y g ood snack s: lit t le pieces of t oast
wit h ham , biscuit s wit h cheese or olives, delicious lit t le
sandwiches. I of t en say t o her , “ Your snack s look so parecen
delicious. W hy can’t you lear n t o boil pot at oes well?” And
she always answer s, “ Cook ing is one t hing , snack s ar e
anot her . T hey ar e not t he sam e. ” Per haps she is r ig ht . quizás

As it is a par t y only f or ladies, I am not even allowed ya que / no me

t o g o int o t he living r oom or int o t he k it chen. So I have t o está permitido
spend Sunday af t er noon in m y r oom r eading t he paper ,
or wat ching t elevision.
Ever y Sunday Lydia says to m e, “ Now, G eor g e!
Rem em ber ! I f you eat any snack s, t her e won’t be enoug h no habrán

f or m y g uest s. ”
As I was saying bef or e, lif e is t oug h! como

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 UNIT 21 21

M ar gar et ’ s Fr i end, Car ol i ne

Mar g ar et ’s old schoolm at e Car oline lives in a q uiet tranquila

lit t le t own, in a char m ing house wit h a g ar den all r ound pueblecito
it . T he g ar den is f ull of f lower s of ever y colour , and t her e
ar e also m any f r uit t r ees.
T he house is ver y near t he hospit al wher e Car oline’s
husband wor k s. ( He is a physician, as I am sur e you all médico
r em em ber . ) I t is t he only hospit al in t he t own, but it is big
and m oder n. T her e is a g ar den all r ound t he hospit al t oo,
because Eng lish people lik e g ar dens so m uch, as we all como
k now.
Car oline’s husband is a ver y busy m an. He wor k s at
t he hospit al all day. He is at hom e f or br eak f ast , lunch
and dinner , and, of cour se, at nig ht . But f or t he r est of t he
day, Car oline, her lit t le g ir l Bet t y and t he m aid ar e alone
in t he house. But Car oline doesn’t g et bor ed at all. I n no se aburre / de
f act , she is always saying , “ I am t oo busy t o g et bor ed. I hecho
have so m any t hing s t o do. ” But is she r eally as busy as
she im ag ines?
She g et s up ear ly - about seven o’clock - and has
br eak f ast wit h her husband and child. Lit t le Bet t y lik es t o
g et up ear ly t oo. T hey don’t eat m uch at br eak f ast . Just
t oast , wit h a lit t le ham , cof f ee and som e f r uit . Lit t le Bet t y
pr ef er s j am wit h her t oast - st r awber r y j am , and a g lass
of or ang e j uice. Car oline eat s t he least of t he t hr ee, menos de
because she is so busy t alk ing .
W hat does she t alk about ? Not hing int er est ing . But she
t alk s and t alk s. And she laug hs and laug hs.

( t urn over)

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 UNIT 21 22

( cont i nuat i on) M ar gar et ’ s Fr i end, Car ol i ne

“ O h! I m ust do so m any t hing s! I m ust g o t o t he

but cher ’s t o buy t he m eat f or lunch. T hen I m ust g o t o t he carnicería
bak er ’s - because if I send t he m aid t her e she always
f or g et s t o buy t he br own br ead f or lit t le Bet t y. T hen I m ust
g o t o t he hair dr esser ’s. I want t o chang e t he colour of m y peluquería
hair . And I need a new lipst ick , and a bot t le of t hat
per f um e t hat you lik e so m uch, dar ling . T hen I m ust
t elephone at least six people - and - oh! W hat a por lo menos
beaut if ul m or ning it is! Look at t he sun! ”
“ Uh- huh, ” says t he doct or , “ but I ’m af r aid t hat it will r ain temo que
bef or e lunch- t im e. ”
“ No, it won’t ! » laug hs Car oline. “ Don’t be a silly no lloverá
pessim ist , dar ling ! Be an opt im ist ! Lik e m e! I always como
expect t he best ! And she g oes on laug hing . continua

W hen t he doct or com es back hom e f r om t he hospit al at vuelve

luncht im e, she is st ill laug hing .

Dur ing lunch she t alk s all t he t im e. O nce or t wice her durante
husband beg ins t o speak about his wor k at t he hospit al,
but she doesn’t list en t o him . She want s t o t alk about her
visit t o t he hair dr esser ’s. She t ells her husband all t he
t hing s t hat t he hair dr esser said t o her , and she t alk s a lot le dijo
about t wo ot her wom en who wer e t her e. She r em em ber s
ever yt hing about t hese wom en - t heir clot hes, t heir
shoes … t he colour of t heir hair and eyes . . . And while she
t alk s, she laug hs. Her husband doesn’t ask , “ But what ar e
you laug hing about ?” It isn’t necessar y. Because he
alr eady k nows t he answer : she is laug hing about not hing ,
as always.
( t urn over)

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 UNIT 21 23

( cont i nuat i on) M ar gar et ’ s Fr i end, Car ol i ne

I n t he evening , at dinner , Car oline cont inues t o t alk and

laug h. Af t er dinner , her husband of t en g oes back t o t he vuelve
hospit al. “ Poor m an! ” , per haps you will say - “ He m ust be quizás
so t ir ed! ” But he doesn’t m ind g oing back t o wor k . no le importa
Pr obably he is m or e r elaxed at t he hospit al t han at hom e. relajado

W hen he r et ur ns hom e ( about one o’clock in t he

m or ning ) , Car oline is g ener ally sleeping .

T he doct or com es int o t he bedr oom as q uiet ly as

possible. He doesn’t want t o wak e Car oline up. But despertar
suddenly he hear s a st r ang e lit t le noise. Has he wok en up ha despertado
his wif e af t er all? T he poor m an f eels ver y sor r y. después de todo

But no! I t ’s all r ig ht . Car oline is only laug hing in her

sleep. sueño

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 UNIT 21 24

Tr ansl at i on
1. Traduce oralmente.
2. Copia toda la página.

1. Pessim ist s ar e f oolish people.

2. T hey always expect t he wor st .
3. O pt im ist s always expect t he best .
4. Per haps t hey ar e f oolish t oo.
5. But t hey ar e happier t han pessim ist s.

6. T hey say t hat I am t he black sheep of t he f am ily.

7. T hey say t hat wit h m y long hair and m y ear r ing s I m ak e a bad
im pr ession on people.
8. T hey say t hat I wear ver y f unny clot hes.
9. T hey also say t hat I only t hink about r ock m usic and discos.
10. How st r ang e! Nobody says t hat I am t he best of t he class in
Eng lish, in m at hs and even in Lat in!

11. G eor g e is a ver y q uiet per son.

12. W hen he com es hom e f r om his wor k , he lik es t o spend his
evening s at hom e r eading t he paper or wat ching T V.
13. His wif e Lydia loves t o g o t o cinem as, t heat r es and r est aur ant s.
14. Ever y Sunday af t er noon she g ives a lit t le par t y, and she of f er s her
g uest s t he m ost delicious snack s.
15. Her par t ies ar e f or wom en only, because she t hink s t hat m en have
t oo m uch f un in lif e.

16. I love m y Fr ench lessons so m uch! But when I speak I m ak e t oo

m any pr onunciat ion m ist ak es.
17. I don’t m ind when m y t eacher cor r ect s m e. But I can’t st and when
m y schoolm at es m ak e r ude r em ar k s about it .
18. I t m ak es m e ver y ang r y.
19. I nst ead of m ak ing som e g ood sug g est ions about Fr ench
pr onunciat ion, t hey only m ak e st upid com m ent s.
20. But in sum m er I am g oing t o m ak e a t r ip t o Fr ance, and so when I
com e back I am g oing t o speak Fr ench lik e a Par isian.

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UNIT 21 25

Tr ansl at i on
Tr aduce por escr i t o y or al m ent e.

1. Los pesim ist as son per sonas t ont as.

2. Ellos siem pr e esper an lo peor .
3. Los opt im ist as siem pr e esper an lo m ej or .
4. Q uizás ellos sean t ont os t am bién.
5. Per o ellos son m ás f elices de los pesim ist as.

6. Dicen q ue soy la ovej a neg r a de la f am ilia.

7. Dicen q ue con m i pelo lar g o y m i pendient e hag o una m ala
im pr esión sobr e las per sonas.
8. Dicen q ue llevo r opa m uy ext r aña.
9. Dicen t am bién q ue pienso solam ent e en la m úsica r ock y en las
discot ecas.
10. ¡Q ue ext r año! Nadie dice q ue soy el m ej or de la clase en ing lés,
en m at em át icas e incluso en lat ín.

11. G eor g e es una per sona m uy t r anq uila.

12. Cuando viene a casa de su t r abaj o, le g ust a pasar las t ar des
leyendo el per iódico o m ir ando la t elevisión.
13. Su m uj er Lydia am a los cines, los t eat r os, y los r est aur ant es.
14. Cada dom ing o por la t ar de ella da una peq ueña f iest a, y ella
of r ece a sus húespedes las m ás deliciosas t apas.
15. Sus f iest as son par a m uj er es solam ent e, por q ue ella piensa q ue
los hom br es se divier t en dem asiado en la vida.

16. ¡Yo am o m is clases de f r ancés t ant o! Per o cuando hablo, hag o

dem asiadas f alt as de pr onunciación.
17. A m i no m e im por t a cuando m i pr of esor m e cor r ig e. Per o yo no
puedo ag uant ar cuando m is com pañer os hacen obser vaciones
g r oser as sobr e eso.
18. Me hace enf adar m uchisím o.
19. En lug ar de hacer buenas sug er encias sobr e la pr onunciación
f r ancesa, ellos hacen est úpidos com ent ar ios.
20. Per o en ver ano, har é un viaj e a Fr ancia, y así cuando vuelva
hablar é f r ancés com o un par isino.

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UNIT 21 26

1. Cont est a a las pr egunt as siguient es:

1. W her e does one eat bet t er , at hom e or at a r est aur ant ?

2. I s Mar g ar et ’s m ot her a g ood or a bad cook ? W hy?
3. W hat does Mar g ar et say about her cook ing ?
4. W hen Mar g ar et says t hat she can’t cook at all, what does T om
say?
5. W hich do you g ener ally expect in lif e - t he best , or t he wor st ?
6. So which ar e you - an opt im ist or a pessim ist ?
7. W hen T om and Mar g ar et leave Bar celona which cit ies ar e t hey
g oing t o visit ?
8. W hen ar e T om and Mar g ar et g oing t o m ar r y?
9. Accor ding t o you, is it wise or f oolish t o m ar r y ver y young ?
10. Accor ding t o you, which is t he r ig ht ag e t o m ar r y?
11. W hen you m ar r y, how m any childr en would you lik e t o have?
12. How old wer e your par ent s when t hey m ar r ied?
13. W ho is I van?
14. Abel’s par ent s don’t lik e I van. W hy?
15. How is I van consider ed by som e of his r elat ives? W hy?
16. How does I van spend his t im e?
17. W hich subj ect s int er est I van m ost ?
18. W hat do you t hink about sm ok ing ?
19. W hat does Millie m ak e Rober t f or br eak f ast ?
20. W hat does Rober t com plain about ?
21. W hen Rober t isn’t sat isf ied wit h his dinner , what does he do?
22. Accor ding t o you why is Rober t always ir r it able?
23. W hen T om and Mar g ar et ar e m ar r ied, how do t hey want t o
spend t heir evening s?

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UNIT 21 27

Vocabul ar y

above all Ebúv o:l sobre todo

Athens A † inz Atenas
beauty bju:ti belleza
to behave tu biheiv comportarse
button bútn botón
care keE cuidado
careful keEful atento
carefully keEfuli atentamente
to choose tu tSu:z escoger
Christianity kristiAniti Cristianismo
cleverness klevEnis inteligencia
coldness kouldnis frialdad
comment kØment comentario
to complain tu kEmplein quejarse
compliment kØmplimEnt cumplido
dangerous deindZrEs peligroso
delight dilait deleite
delightful dilaitful delicioso
dictator dikteitE dictador
dictatorship dikteitESip dictadura
even i:vEn incluso
excuse ikskju:s excusa
to expect tu ikspekt esperar; contar con; suponer
to fall tu fØ:l caer
to follow tu fØlou seguir
foolish fu:liS tonto
fortunately fØ:tSnitli afortunadamente
friendship frendSip amistad
God gØd Dios
goodness gudnis bondad
heart ha:t corazón
heartless ha:tlis sin corazón
homeless houmlis sin hogar
illness ilnis enfermedad

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UNIT 21 28

Vocabul ar y

liver livE higado

to make fat tu meik fAt engordar
most of moust Øv la mayoría de
motherless múTElis huérfano
not even nØt i:vEn ni siquiera
optimist Øptimist optimista (subst.)
optimistic Øptimistik optimista (adj.)
pessimist pesimist pesimista (subst.)
pessimistic pesimistik pesimista (adj.)
promise prØmis promesa
quiet kwaiEt tranquilo
rapid rApid rápido
rapidity rApiditi rapidez
reason ri:zn razón
remark rima:k observación
to respect tu rispekt respetar
sadness sAdnis tristeza
saint seint santo
satisfied sAtisfaid satisfecho
to sew tu sou coser
sheep Si:p oveja
stupidity stjupiditi estupidez
to suggest tu sEdZest sugerir
suggestion sEdZestSEn sugerencia
sure Su:E seguro
tiredness túiEdnis cansancio
unfortunately únfØ:tSnitli desafortunadamente
use ju:s uso
useful ju:sful útil
usefulness ju:sfulnis utilidad
useless ju:slis inútil
uselessness ju:slisnis inutilidad
w ide waid ancho
w ise waiz sabio
w onder wúndE maravilla

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